


The Ugly Duckling

by ghostgoboo



Series: Puffy’s Adventures in Parenthood [1]
Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Captain Puffy is dream's mom, Dream Team SMP Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Dream is in Prison, Family Feels, Hybrid!Sally the Salmon, Mother-Son Relationship, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), duckling!Dream Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28901373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostgoboo/pseuds/ghostgoboo
Summary: As everyone celebrates a new era of peace, Puffy looks back on the life she lived and wonders if maybe, just maybe, there was something she could've done so that none of this would have ever happened.TW// implied/referenced abuse
Relationships: Captain Puffy & Dream, Dream & Fundy
Series: Puffy’s Adventures in Parenthood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141304
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56





	The Ugly Duckling

**Author's Note:**

> Any fanfiction I write is based on the characters within the DreamSMP, never about the actual content creators themselves. If anyone mentioned in the story is uncomfortable with anything included, the story will be taken down as soon as I'm informed.
> 
> All relationships mentioned are strictly platonic except for a reference to the relationship between c!Dream and c!Fundy later in the story.
> 
> Now, with all of that out of the way, enjoy your read! :)

Two days had passed since Dream had finally gotten what he truly deserved. The discs were back with Tommy and everyone had made it out alive. 

In the moment, everyone had celebrated, as was their right. The tyrant they fought so hard against was finally gone. But when Puffy looked into the eyes of the man who had caused the world so much pain, had caused  her so much pain, she felt a tinge of regret. 

_[“Mama, mama!” the little boy cried. His tiny hands tugged on her coattails frantically._

_The older woman turned and knelt, giving him her full attention. “What is it, duckling?”_

_“Look!” He pointed excitedly at two twigs that he had managed to stick up in his hair like little horns. “Just like yours!”_

_Puffy couldn’t help it as a wide grin quickly grew across her face. She hoisted the small child up onto her hip as she stood. “Just like mine.” She said, lightly pressing her nose to his and slowly shaking her head back and forth._

_The boy giggled with glee, pleased to make the woman happy.]_

There had to have been something more she could have done along the way before things had gotten out of hand. He may not have been her son by blood, but she had loved him like one, and somewhere along the line, she must have failed him. 

_[“Hey, mom?” The boy, now almost as tall as his mother, called as he entered their small cottage._

_“Yes, duckling?” she responded, quickly making her way down the stairs to greet him._

_“How come I'm not a hybrid like you? Was my other parent human?”_

_Puffy let out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t that she was withholding information from him, she had just wanted to wait until he had approached her about it himself. But now that he had, she really didn't want to break it to him. "Dream," she paused, choosing her next words carefully. "I'm not your biological mother, Dream."_

_The boy paused for a moment. He wasn't surprised, per se. In fact, part of him had suspected he was adopted when no horns sprouted on his head for years. But after meeting Fundy, a hybrid whose parents were a human and a hybrid, he wondered if the opposite could also occur. Even though this was something he had convinced himself of, he was angry at Puffy. Angry at her for not telling him sooner, for letting him believe something that no one but Dream had even told him was possible._

_Puffy hesitated a moment before resting a hand lightly on Dream's shoulder. And just as she had expected, he shrugged it off and pushed past her and up the stairs with a huff. Bringing both of her hands to her chest, she braced herself for the inevitable. She knew there wasn't anything she could've done, but when she heard a loud crash followed by a short string of cursing, she felt extremely guilty.]_

Time seemed to pass so slowly, even with the recent commotion caused by "The Egg." Puffy did notice, though, that life around her was moving forward. Sam had mentioned a new project to her, one that Tommy was paying him to complete. That made her feel a little more at ease. After everything he was put through, Tommy especially deserved a new start. 

_[After Tommy was exiled, Puffy couldn't help but feel sorry for him. While he had done something wrong and deserved to be punished for it, he deserved a just punishment. She could assume from experience that he was lashing out because he didn't know how else to work through his problems. He was sixteen, what he needed was help, someone to listen to him, someone to care about him._

_She didn't blame Tubbo, though. He was also still just a kid, a kid with way too much responsibility placed on his shoulders. No, she couldn't blame him. She knew who was at fault here, but she didn't want to admit it. So, she had blamed herself instead._

_It wasn't until a few days later when she had decided to venture out farther than usual for supplies, that she stumbled upon a small campsite. She heard two familiar voices, just far enough away that she couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. She cautiously approached them but immediately froze in her tracks as an explosion went off. The air was eerily silent after that._

_She turned to leave, but as she did she caught a glimpse of a cold smile in the distance. She didn't venture in that direction for the rest of the week.]_

But Tommy wasn't the only one. After Dream's arrest, Fundy was around a lot more. Puffy spent time talking to him, enjoying the sight of a face so familiar. To her surprise, the fox hybrid was the first to bring up Dream. She had avoided bringing up the topic in an attempt to not make Fundy on edge, but she hadn't expected him to open up first. 

_[Dream had been running around the house like a madman. Never stopping for more than a few seconds before continuing his nervous rampage. Puffy tried not to laugh at the sight of her son, who was usually very laid back and relaxed, worry so much about something so completely normal._

_A few days earlier, she had noticed Dream going out more, staying out later. She didn't question him at first, assuming he was with George or Sapnap, but when they stopped by the house asking if he was home, she was quite confused. She asked him later that night where he had been going. When his face went red and he nearly choked on his water trying to tell her "a friend's house," she got the gist of it._

_Ignoring his horrible attempts at trying to change the subject, she asked him to invite his new friend over for dinner, seeing as she hadn't met them yet. Knowing he wouldn't be able to refuse her, that's exactly what Dream did the next day. And now, he was seriously regretting it._

_There was a light knock on the door and Dream practically sprinted to be the first one to get to it; Puffy hadn't moved a muscle. Standing awkwardly in the doorway, hand still in the air from his knock being interrupted, was a fox-hybrid teen, slightly shorter than Dream. She waved at him enthusiastically from behind her son, standing on the tips of her toes trying to get a better look._

_The night went fairly smoothly, the only big hiccup being that Dream had forgotten to tell Puffy to put away their fishing gear before their guest had arrived. Although slightly confused, she was very quick to shove it all in a closet when he mentioned that Fundy - that was the boy's name - was technically part salmon._

_They made light conversation throughout dinner, Puffy doing most of the talking herself seeing as neither of the boys were desperate to start a conversation. When she did ask a question, however, she noticed that Dream was always the first to answer. Fundy would either nod in agreement or not make any signal he had heard her speak at all. "So, Fundy, what do your parents do?" she directed the question at him specifically, hoping this would at least prompt him to give some sort of answer._

_Once again, Dream opened his mouth to speak but shut it when Puffy shot him a glare. "My-" Fundy's voice came out soft and strained. He cleared his throat before continuing. "My father works in the government." He didn't elaborate; Puffy didn't push him any further, didn't ask about his mother either. She was aware of the current political climate._

_Years later, long after Dream had moved out, she heard about what had happened between the two of them. At first, she was upset that she hadn't recieved an invitation to the wedding, but that feeling soon disappated when she was told how it ended. That was the moment Puffy stopped looking through her rose-colored lenses, coming to terms with the fact that her duckling was long gone.]_

She had made up her mind; as soon as the opportunity arose, she would visit Dream. She would visit Dream and she would visit him as Captain Puffy, leaving any guilt or pity she felt as a parent at the door.

**Author's Note:**

> This story took me around a week to write, effectively taking the longest out of the ones I've written so far, so I really hope y'all liked it! :D
> 
> Also, let me know if any of you would be interested in reading more of Puffy's memories of raising Dream and other events.
> 
> \-------------
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out any of my others! 
> 
> Obviously, I'm not the best writer and write strictly for my own entertainment, so I apologize if I failed to catch some mistakes!


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